I Am What You Made Me
by LittleHeda
Summary: Aiko Shirogane has waited six years to do the following: hug her older brother, and punch Keith in the face for leaving her behind when he ran away from the Garrison. But now that the Paladins have returned to Earth, Aiko has a bone to pick with the Galra, especially those responsible for kidnapping Shiro and torturing him.
1. Chapter 1

It would always haunt her in her sleep, the constant hum of the Galaxy Garrison's particle barrier. She'd spent years trying to drown out the sound, trying to cover her ears and draw upon some faint recollection of what it was like to lay in silence. It was only with a modicum of resentment that she'd eventually learned to embrace it, the incessant drone that crooned of protection from the Galra.

But to the light, she had never adjusted, and the fiery dome that enveloped the Garrison kept her awake most nights. The girl she once was would have complained, would have tacked up sheets to block the glow from her windows. Who she was now didn't care; hacking into the comms tower and scouring through transmissions was more important than shutting her eyes for a few hours.

To Aiko, at least.

Adam, her brother's boyfriend-fiancé-whatever they were now that Shiro had been missing for so long, hadn't been nearly as enthused when Commander Iverson had woken him in the middle of the night, beating on their stateroom door and demanding that Aiko return the classified jump-drive she'd swiped from Sam Holt's office.

She had thought that he'd finally had enough, that Adam would finally break his last promise to Shiro about looking after her and would boot her from the home they shared. It was empty in Shiro's absence, a void in which they lived and breathed and occasionally murmured a quiet greeting. Aiko was never meant to be Adam's responsibility, just a temporary guardian until Shiro had returned from the Kerberos mission.

But all he had done was shake his head and take away Aiko's laptop, stowing it beneath his own pillow so that Aiko had no chance of reclaiming it. He'd given it back yesterday morning, grumbling about a sore neck and that Aiko's true punishment was to run drills in the Garrison's flight simulators.

It was not a punishment, not really. Not when Aiko loved to fly, when she aspired to beat the records previously set by her older brother. Adam himself had come close, but he couldn't maneuver his fighters with quite the same ease that Shiro had always had while flying. But Aiko could, and she had stopped herself from shattering Shiro's records if only because he wasn't there to see it.

Aiko's bedroom light flicked on. She blanched, squinting against the harsh florescent glow as the metal door sealing her inside the room slid open on a motorized track. "What are you still doing up?" Adam asked, crossing his arms as he leaned against the threshold. He nodded to her laptop with a raised eyebrow. "I know you're not hacking back into the comms tower when Iverson threatened to sacrifice you to the Galra last night."

She closed her computer with a gentle click and set it aside. "No," Aiko said. "Of course not."

Adam lumbered into the room, dressed in cadet-orange pajamas that hung from his lithe frame. "Aiko," he sighed, sitting himself on the edge of her bed. He took her laptop and placed it on her nightstand. "I check the transmissions every night before I leave the comms tower. If we'd received any word on Voltron, I would tell you."

The cadet bowed her head, fiddling with a loose thread that dangled from the sleeve of her shirt. Aiko stuffed her thumb through the hole she'd torn there. "But what if we miss an incoming message in the middle of the night?" She asked. "What if Shiro reaches out to us, and—"

"Someone's always monitoring the comms," Adam told her, his voice a gentle rasp. "And every officer in this Garrison is under strict orders to wake me first should they receive any word from the Paladins."

"It's been six years, Adam. Four since we last heard from Voltron, and six since we last saw Shiro."

Adam swept a hand through his sleep-mused hair, the mousy brown strands in total disarray until he smoothed them back from his face. "I miss him too, Aiko. More than you realize. You aren't the only one who loves him."

She tilted her head at him. "You don't wear your ring anymore."

"It's against regulation," Adam murmured, thumbing the empty spot on his ring finger. His skin there was still faded, still pale from the silver band he used to wear before… everything.

"That never stopped you before."

Another sigh escaped him, his shoulders appearing to cave in around him. He looked smaller, more vulnerable than Aiko had ever seen him. "Please," Adam said quietly. "Don't start this again. You know I love Takashi. But that ring, Aiko… It's only a reminder that he left."

Left him, he did not say. Adam had sworn not to wait around for Shiro if he chose to go on the Kerberos mission, and he hadn't. But that was before Shiro had gone missing, before the Galra had taken him prisoner and before he'd suddenly become a Paladin of Voltron.

Aiko tugged her knees into her chest, her dark hair spilling like a vat of black ink over her shoulders. "He left me too, you know. I didn't want him going on that mission, either. Part of me thinks he only did it because Admiral Sanda told him it was too dangerous." Shadows dinned her eyes. "That disease he has, the one that effects his muscles…"

"It's likely progressed over the years," Adam said. He often did not sugarcoat things for her. "But Shiro is strong, and you seen that metal arm he has now. I don't think a human disease can damage Galran steel. Even our weapons can barely put a dent in it."

The metallic comms bracelet circling Adam's wrist beeped. His brow creased as he lifted his arm, tapping his fingers against a holographic screen that idled in the air above the bracelet. A channel into the comms tower opened up, and a young cadet's face appeared before Adam and Aiko.

"Commander Washington," the boy greeted, excitement snagging at his words and pulling them into a sharp staccato. "You're going to want to see this."

Aiko's breath caught in the back of her throat as Adam said, "Patch it through, Officer Griffin."

A video hovered above Adam's arm, and Aiko swung herself around until she was peering over the Commander's shoulder, her fingers gripping the orange fabric of his pajama shirt. "Where is that?" She murmured, eyes widening at the five lions barreling through the blackness of space. "Adam, where is that?"

"They've just entered our solar system," Griffin informed them. "Our scanners picked up an energy surge just past Kerberos. We thought it was Sendak at first, but the lions appeared on our radar just a few minutes ago. They're headed home, sir."

Adam leapt from the bed. "What's their ETA?"

"Tomorrow morning, sir. Their speed—it's like nothing I've ever seen before."

"Contact Commanders Iverson and Holt," Adam demanded. "Make it known that the Paladins of Voltron are finally returning to Earth."

Adam swiped away the holograph, the bracelet's internal LED system flickering out and casting Aiko's bedroom into its usual, ominous orange glow. He turned to face her, and that was tears in his eyes, threatening to spill down his darkly-tanned cheeks. "Aiko…"

She scrambled from the bed, her heart a thundering force inside her chest. "You're going to the comms tower," she stated, hands trembling as she fumbled for the uniform slung over her desk chair. Two golden stripes embroidered the padded grey shoulders, marking her as a junior officer of the Garrison. The last time that Aiko had seen her brother, she'd donned cadet-orange. "Take me with you."

Adam dipped his chin. "Hurry up and get dressed," he said. "Meet me in the living room in ten minutes, or I'll go without you." Adam moved towards her, placing his hands on Aiko's shoulders and squeezing. "He's home, Aiko. And he'll be so, so proud of everything you've done while he was away."

She tasted salt on her tongue. Aiko forced herself into Adam's arms, burying her face into the Commander's shoulder. Her tears soaked through his shirt. "Put your ring back on," she told him. "Don't break his heart the second he gets home from space."

Laughter rumbled through his chest. "I could say the same to you," he said. "Don't rip Keith's head off without hugging him first."

* * *

An anxious silence had settled over the Garrison that morning, even the constant thrum from the particle barrier falling away into nothing. Beads of sweat lined Aiko's brow as she waited beneath the sweltering sunlight, Adam poised at attention beside her. The ATV's had entered the academy's property only moments ago, and Aiko could see the dust they kicked up in the distance.

She wrung her hands together, shifting from foot to foot even though she knew she should be standing still. Adam had stopped trying to reprimand her, he himself beginning to tap his booted foot with anticipation. They'd heard Shiro's voice not too long ago, her brother having briefly spoken with Commander Holt to ensure him that Pidge was safe, that she was in the second ATV with Hunk and Lance.

"There they are!" Someone shouted, the vehicles rolling through the academy gates only to circle the empty lot in front of the Garrison.

Aiko gripped Adam's hand, her fingers wrinkling the pristinely pressed sleeve of his uniform. She was surprised that he squeezed her back, that his fingers trembled against her palm. He glanced at her from the corners of his eyes, and the way his mouth quirked at the corner… it was silent permission to break protocol. To Hell with Garrison regulations, she and Adam were owed this reunion with Shiro, and they would not squander it with rules.

The ATV's rolled to a slow a stop, the gears grinding with a mechanical groan. Aiko waited, bouncing on the heels of her feet as the doors swung open, as the Paladins of Voltron stumbled from the vehicles they were crammed inside. She was vaguely aware that Sam and Colleen Holt were bounding forward to embrace Pidge, that Veronica and a dozen other people were bolting for Lance McClain and tackling him to the ground with affection.

Her brother stepped down from the ATV, his shockingly white hair flashing in the midmorning sun. Shiro turned to help a woman from the vehicle, her slender hand pressing into his palm as she hopped from the oversized truck. She smiled at Shiro and thanked him, and it was as she was turning to face the growing crowd of Garrison officers that Aiko noted her pointed ears, the triangular markings that glowed beneath her eyes.

She could inquire about the strange woman later.

Shiro turned, his dark eyes scanning the crowd until he sought out Aiko and Adam, a breath of relief seeming to escape him as he pressed a hand to his chest. He took a step forward, but Aiko closed the distance between them, spearing across the old parking lot until she was barreling into Shiro's chest, her brother rocking back onto his heels.

His arm came around her, and Aiko didn't care if the mechanical one she'd last seem him with had been severed from his shoulder. She flung her own around his neck, burying her face into the broad swell of his chest. "Shiro," she said, her fingers curling into the collar of his black and white armor. "You're home."

A sob tore from his chest, from them both, and Shiro sank to his knees, pulling Aiko down with him. Adam joined them a moment later, his arms encircling them both, and Aiko made room for the Commander to press his forehead to Shiro's temple. "Welcome back," he murmured tearfully. "There's so much that Aiko and I have to tell you."

Shiro's laugh was watery. "Me, too," he said. "But let me have this moment. I never thought I'd see either of you ever again."

Aiko curled into Shiro's chest, did not care if she'd dirtied her uniform, and reveled in the comfort of their bickering, Adam's chuckle a quiet rasp as he eventually pressed a kiss to Shiro's brow. His engagement ring glinted on his finger.

Home, Aiko thought. The Garrison was finally home again.

* * *

**Author's Note: I've been telling myself, "No, you're not going to write **a Voltron** fanfic!" for the last three months. Clearly, my fingers slipped over the keyboard. Let's see where this goes. Lol. **


	2. Chapter 2

It was the rough clearing of Commander Iverson's throat that finally had them separating. Aiko winced at the sound, and as she twisted in Shiro's embrace, she expected to see a scowl drawn across Iverson's face. But he was smiling, his hands resting lightly on his hips, and he dipped his chin at Aiko as if to say that any bad blood between them was settled.

"I hate to interrupt," he said, and Aiko knew he meant it. "But we need to debrief the Paladins on all that's happened while they've been away." Iverson's gaze flickered to Shiro, and there was something akin to nervousness that shone there. "Also, I… My apologies for throwing you in quarantine."

"So _you're_ the one who strapped Shiro to a table." A man leaped from the ATV, his ears pointed just like his female counterpart. His orange hair burned like fire in the sunlight, and a curled mustache concealed the majority of his lower face. He circled Commander Iverson, jabbing at him with a gloved finger. "I heard about that."

A quiet laugh rumbled through Shiro's chest, one that Aiko felt deep inside her bones. She'd missed his laugh, missed the way that she and her brother would spend hours doing so while watching old comedy movies in the Garrison lounge. "You were just following orders," Shiro said, snapping Aiko from her reverie. She glared at her commanding officer, still bitter that he'd strapped Shiro to a table and had not told her he'd been found, and Iverson rubbed the back of his neck. "As any good soldier would. It's good to see you again, sir."

Shiro managed to untangle himself from between Adam and Aiko. The three of them stood together, and with a smile, Shiro turned to look at the strange woman he'd helped from the truck, a second having joined her. "Allow me to introduce you to our Altean allies," he said. "Meet Allura," he gestured to the Altean with white hair, the one he'd assisted down from the ATV. "Romelle," he nodded towards the second woman. "And Coran."

The man studying Iverson squinted his eyes as if that sufficed as a greeting.

A flash of dark hair had Aiko turning on her heels. She quirked her head as she found a boy her age kneeling beside a giant wolf, electric blue threading through the creature's dark fur. Aiko blinked, and at the same time, Keith looked up and met her gaze, his eyes widening in a way that would have been comical if Aiko hadn't gone six years without seeing him.

"Aiko," he said, bolting to his feet and straightening his spine. "You're here."

Lost in conversation with Iverson, Shiro and Adam didn't notice her wander away. "Keith," she greeted tersely, crossing her arms as she came to stand before the Paladin.

His armor matched her brother's, accented with red highlights instead of black, and it fit snuggly over the pilot's squared shoulders. Keith was nearly as tall as Shiro now, a far cry from the boy she'd once known as a child. A scar slashed across his face, rising upwards from his jaw to the center of his cheek.

"Still sporting that stupid mullet of yours, I see. I guess some things truly never change."

The corners of Keith's mouth twitched. "Still a dwarf, I see. I guess some people truly never grow."

Aiko blinked away the tears that began to gather along her lashes. She swallowed any harboring resentment and stepped closer, her childhood best friend just within her reach. "It's good to see you again, Keith. I've missed you. You_ and_ your stupid, ugly mullet."

"I've missed you, too," he said. Keith reached for her, plucking at the sleeve of her uniform. "A junior officer, huh? Never thought I'd see the day. Every fight I was ever in, every time someone beat me up, you were always right there with me, usually beating them back."

A smile tugged at her mouth. "Shiro regretted introducing us."

Keith chuckled. "I don't blame him." He swept his hand through his hair, brushing back the loose strands that framed his pale face. "Is it lame for me to ask you how you've been?"

"A little," Aiko told him. "But hopefully I've been better than you." She reached for his face, pinching Keith's chin between her index finger and thumb. Aiko turned his head to the side and observed the beautifully wicked scar slashing across his cheek. "What happened?"

He tugged himself free and frowned at her. "It's a long story, one you probably won't be happy to hear." Keith yielded a step back and crossed his arms. "A lot has happened since I last saw you, Aiko. Things have changed."

Aiko stuffed her hands into the pockets of her uniforms. "That's your fault."

The Paladin blinked at her. "_My_ fault? I wouldn't call getting dragged into space by a giant mechanical lion _my_ fault."

"No," Aiko agreed. "But had you not left the Garrison without me, I could have gotten dragged into space by a giant mechanical lion _with_ you."

Keith gritted his teeth. "You have no idea what we've been through, Aiko, and I don't regret that you weren't there for any of it."

She reeled back as surely as if Keith had slapped her. Her chest hollowed out, but then Aiko's temper flared as hurt and betrayal sank deep into the marrow of her bones. "You're a bigger ass than I remember," she said, and the mild frustration eddied from Keith's angled face. "It's good to have you back, Keith. Iverson wants to debrief the Paladins. I'm sure you remember where the council room is."

"Aiko, wait—"

She spun on her heels and left him standing there, calling her name until she was out of range. Aiko pretended not to hear his apology, the plea in Keith's voice as he tried and failed to call her back to him. They would have time to work out their differences later, perhaps when the wound of Keith leaving her behind hadn't just been ripped back open.

Her brother and Adam were where she'd left them, Shiro smiling at her as she joined them again. He slung his arm over her shoulders, and it was as solid weight that brought her comfort. "Where'd you run off to?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder to find Keith staring after Aiko.

Adam snorted as he too followed Shiro's gaze to the Red Paladin. "He's still breathing. I'm impressed."

"I don't want to talk about Keith."

Shiro turned back to her and frowned, and that was—that was _disappointment_ that shone in her brother's eyes. "Go easy on him," he said. "Keith has been through more than you could possibly understand, Aiko. It's been a long few years."

"In Aiko's defense," Adam began, bristling slightly. "We've been through a lot, too. Aiko's been vital in our fight against the Galra. You'd be proud of all she's done here on Earth."

"I don't doubt it," Shiro said, pride indeed shining through in his words. "You'll have to tell me everything once the rest of us have been debriefed."

Commander Iverson turned from his conversation with Coran. "The council room has been prepared for our meeting, we're just waiting for the lot of you to finish up with your reunions." He turned to Aiko and raised his chin with slight indignation. "Find your squadron and prepare them for the briefing. I want the five of you present for this meeting."

Shiro frowned again. "Squadron?" He asked, and Aiko knew that if he wasn't missing an arm, he would cross them both over his chest. "You were training as a communications officer when I left."

Aiko looked to Adam for help, and the Commander cut in smoothly. "Aiko is one of the best pilots to come out of the Garrison in years," he informed Shiro. "She's the senior officer in a group of five students that we've trained to provide air support for the academy."

"Aiko was meant to fly one of the crafts we've built using Altean technology," Iverson continued glumly. "But we can't seem to get them up and running. We don't have an adequate power source."

"Perhaps I can help," Allura smiled. She turned to Aiko and held out her hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Aiko. Shiro and Keith have told me all about you."

"Please," Aiko said, taking Allura's hand and gently gripping her fingers. "The honor is mine, Princess."

She did not miss the scathing look that Shiro gave Adam as he said, "We should head to the council room. There's much to be discussed. We have intel on Sendak that may provide useful in our fight against the Galra."

Words would be had later, Aiko knew. As a child, she had begged their parents to let her join Shiro at the Garrison. She'd aced her entrance exam, and Shiro had vouched for both her intelligence and character during her initial interview with Admiral Sanda and Commanders Holt and Iverson. But he'd only agreed to look after her if Aiko trained as a communications officer; he had not wanted her flying. It was too dangerous for anyone but him.

Iverson clapped Aiko on the shoulder. "Find your squadron," he said. "Meet us in the council room."

Aiko dipped her chin. "Yes, sir," she said, then turned to look at Shiro and Adam. "I'll see you soon."

Shiro's smile did not reach his eyes. "I'll see you soon."


End file.
